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Doolittle Tokyo Raiders Celebrate 64th Anniversary

By Steven Donald SmithAmerican Forces Press Service

WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio, April 19, 2006  Eight of the surviving 16 "Doolittle Tokyo Raiders" gathered at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force here yesterday for their 64th annual reunion and to remember those who have gone before them.

The surviving members of the famed Doolittle Raiders listening in on the dedication ceremony at the Doolittle Raider Memorial at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. The event commemorated the raid's 64th anniversary April 18. Photo by William D. Moss(Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available.

"We're gathered to remember a historic event that changed the hearts of the American people," Lloyd Bryant, a Dayton, Ohio, radio announcer and former U.S. Air Force officer, said at the memorial ceremony. "We are here to pay tribute to those brave men, whose courageous action gave Americans their first glimpse of victory during the darkest days of World War II."

The Doolittle Raiders were a group of 80 volunteer airmen from the U.S. Army Air Forces who on April 18, 1942, flew 16 B-25 Mitchell airplanes from the deck of the USS Hornet on a daring mission to bomb Japan. Their name is derived from the man who led the air raid, Army Lt. Col. James H. "Jimmy" Doolittle.

The raiders' objective was to bomb multiple Japanese cities and then land at an airstrip in China for refueling. Unfortunately, a Japanese patrol boat spotted the Hornet, forcing the Americans to launch the attack hundreds of miles before the intended launch point. After dropping their payloads, the raiders continued on toward China, but a combination of bad weather and low fuel forced the crewmembers to either bail out or crash land in a Japanese-occupied portion of China. One plane landed safely in Russia, where its crew was interned.

"We were on empty and flew about 500 miles inside the coast of China before we ran out of fuel and had to bail out in Japanese-occupied territory," co-pilot retired Lt. Col. Bob Hite said. The Japanese captured Hite along with his crew. He was held as a prisoner of war until Japan surrendered in August 1945.

The raid achieved little in terms of damage inflicted on Japan, but was a huge morale booster to the American people, coming just four months after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

Navigator retired Lt. Col. Chase Nielson, who also was held as a prisoner of war, said he hoped the actions of the Doolittle Raiders would always serve as an inspiration to all Americans. "I learned a few lessons, especially how to appreciate mankind, our democracy and the beautiful wonderful world we live in," he said. "I hope others do too."

Nielson said the greatest satisfaction he got from participating in the raid was the fact that he helped defend the ideals of the United States. "We are all honored that we had a part in protecting the freedoms and the democracy that we call the United States," Nielson said. "There isn't a better place in the world to live, believe me."

The surviving members of the raid cite the leadership of Jimmy Doolittle as the biggest factor in enabling them to undertake their perilous mission. "We had a great leader in Jimmy Doolittle," Tom Griffin, who was a 25-year-old lieutenant at the time of the raid, said. "He was the kind of leader who made us believe we could do this job."

"We all felt that Jimmy Doolittle was No. 1," Hite added. "He had it all -- intelligence, bravery and great leadership qualities."

Also attending the reunion was Tung Sheng Liu, a Chinese citizen who at age 24 helped one of the Doolittle crews escape the clutches of the Japanese. Liu, who spoke some English at the time, acted as a translator between the raiders and other sympathetic Chinese citizens. After some intense planning and daring maneuvering, Liu and his cohorts delivered the crew safely to Chungking, a city in southwestern China that was not occupied by Japan.

"It took us 10 days to travel a short distance, because it was occupied territory. Japanese units constantly patrolled," Liu said. "Then we traveled two more days by bus, eventually making it to Chunking."

In 1946, Liu moved to Minneapolis to attend graduate school and was stunned two years later when he learned that the Doolittle reunion was scheduled to be held there. "I read this in the paper and went to join them," he said. "They welcomed me as an honorary raider. I've been coming to the reunion ever since."

The bond among the Doolittle Raiders has remained tight over the years. "They're a great bunch of guys. We all know each other's children and grandchildren," Griffin said. "We're like a big family."

The first 10 Doolittle Raiders reunions were attended by the crewmembers only and, Griffin said, were somewhat raucous affairs. But when their wives began attending, things began to calm down a bit, he said. "From then on, the whole tenor of the reunions changed," Griffin said. "We calmed down and got to bed like civilized people. But the first 10 were some pretty wild reunions."

Eight of the surviving Doolittle Raiders, an author who wrote a book on the raid, and the son of the team's namesake stand at a new memorial to the famous raid. The men were attending a reunion at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, commemorating the raid's 64th anniversary April 18. Standing are:(from left to right) Lt. Tom Griffin; Lt. Col. Chase Nielson; Sgt. David Thatcher; Master Sgt. Ed Horton; Lt. Col. Bob Hite; Lt. Frank Kappeler; Carroll V. Glines, a retired colonel and author of the book "The Doolittle Raid"; Col. John Doolittle, son of Lt. Col. Jimmy Doolittle, who led the famous raid; Col. Bill Bower; and Lt. Col. Dick Cole. Photo by William D. MossDownload screen-resolutionDownload high-resolution

Tung Sheng Liu, a Chinese civilian in World War II who came to the aid of some of the Doolittle Raiders, listens at the dedication ceremony for the Doolittle Raider Memorial, at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force, at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, April 18. The event was timed to coincide with the 64th anniversary of the raid. Photo by William D. MossDownload screen-resolutionDownload high-resolution

The back of the monument commemorating the famed Doolittle Raiders of World War II lists the flight crews, flight order, targets and final destinations. The monument is at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force, at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. Surviving raiders are meeting there April 18-19 to commemorate the raid's 64th anniversary. Photo by William D. MossDownload screen-resolutionDownload high-resolution

Retired Air Force Maj. Gen. Charles Metcalf (left), director of the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force Museum, and Doolittle Raider retired Lt. Col. Chase Nelson join two Air Force Academy cadets in placing a wreath at the Doolittle Raider Memorial at the museum, on Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, during a reunion commemorating the famous raid's 64th anniversary. Photo by William D. MossDownload screen-resolutionDownload high-resolution

Retired Lt. Col. Chase Nelson, of the famed Doolittle Raiders, speaks April 18 at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, during a reunion commemorating the raid's 64th anniversary. Nelson spoke at the site of a memorial to the raid at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force, at the Dayton base. Photo by William D. MossDownload screen-resolutionDownload high-resolution

Retired Sgt. David Thatcher (right), a Doolittle Raider, visits with Carroll V. Glines, author of the book "The Doolittle Raid" and co-author of Jimmy Doolittle's autobiography, April 18 at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, during a reunion commemorating the raid's 64th anniversary. Photo by William D. MossDownload screen-resolutionDownload high-resolution

Retired Col. John Doolittle, son of Jimmy Doolittle of the famed Doolittle Raiders, joins the reunion ceremony at the Doolittle Raider Memorial at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. Though John Doolittle was not a raider himself, being only 19 at the time, he joins his father's comrades to ensure his father's legacy lives on. Photo by William D. MossDownload screen-resolutionDownload high-resolution

The U.S. Air Force Band plays during the Doolittle Raiders reunion ceremony at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. The event commemorated the raid's 64th anniversary April 18. Photo by William D. MossDownload screen-resolutionDownload high-resolution